342 Museums. 



by liberal offers of specimens from a few individuals, the Committee 

 persevered, and after some opposition and many discouragements, the 

 little Museum was opened with the commencement of the year 1842. 

 Its progress has quite equalled our humble expectations. The work- 

 ing classes are much pleased with it, and on the evenings when it is 

 opened to members generally, it is gratifying to see the pleasant little 

 family groups who attend, evidently interested by what they see, and 

 grateful for the privilege thus afforded." 



In one of the Reports now before me, the Committee of the Sud- 

 bury Mechanics' Institute and Public Library, state that their object 

 is the instruction of the members in the various branches of science 

 and useful knowledge, to the exclusion of party politics and subjects 

 of local controversy: and in conducting the Institution, their primary 

 aim is general usefulness, and their design is to provide information 

 in a pleasing and attractive form, — to interest while they instruct. 

 With tiie view of providing for the use of the members more suitable 

 apartments than they already possessed, they purchased premises in 

 Friars' Street, near the Market hill, and erected a building which they 

 believe will afford the required accommodation at a very reasonable 

 cost. With some important additions recently made, the Museum 

 now contains about 310 specimens of British birds (comprising nearly 

 170 different species), with the eggs of 160 species; — upwards of 350 

 foreign birds, including a pair of the rhinoceros hornbill and Argus 

 pheasant, some beautiful plantain-eaters, two or three species of the 

 jungle-fowl from India, scarlet ibis, Indian herons, bustards, cuckoos, 

 rollers and kingfishers, Virginian eagle owls, Europaean vulture, the 

 wandering albatross, pelican, crane, toucans, and a variety of paiTots, 

 orioles, tanagers and humming birds. A (ew British quadrupeds, 

 amongst which are an otter, a polecat, two marten cats or pine mar- 

 tens (from Ireland), and a young seal. An insect-cabinet, containing 

 twelve drawers of British and foreign butterflies, moths, &c. An ex- 

 tensive series of British land, freshwater and marine shells, and some 

 foreign shells, besides minerals, fossils, reptiles and other curiosities. 

 Amongst various objeets which possess additional interest from hav- 

 ing occurred in the neighbourhood, may be mentioned a fine otter, 

 killed near Sudbury, a black hare, killed at Glemsford, a white stoat 

 (better known as the ermine) killed at Henny, a pair of curlews killed 

 in the neighbourhood, a pair of the Arctic tern, killed on Friars' mea- 

 dow, and a spotted woodpecker. 



The following are the terms of admission. The payment of four 

 shillings per annum confers upon a subscriber (if of the working 



